It's the Great Pumpkin!

Well, OK, it's not really the Great Pumpkin, but you have to admit that it is a Pretty Good Pumpkin. Maybe even a Really Awesome Pumpkin. I just don't think it's all that Great. I was driving around looking for something else a couple of weekends ago and I stumbled onto this pumpkin patch. I hear that I should have been there yesterday after the snow storm. I'll just do that the next time we get 8 inches of snow before Halloween. Will there still be blogging then?

Header Review 9

Time for my semi annual header review. Just a reminder and to help explain when I change headers at the beginning of each month the old one goes away. This post  helps save them for historical purposes and evidence.

• May 2011 - This is the New York City skyline shot from the Brooklyn Bridge Park in August of 2009. The title is a play on the Saturday Night Live beginning.
• June 2011 - Blue skies behind raindrops. The raindrops are on the cars windshield.
• July 2011 - This is an old Mack MC fire engine that once belonged to the Diligence Fire Company in Summit Hill, Pa. It is now privately owned and sitting beside the Coaldale Fire station. Taken on Fathers' Day 2011.
• August 2011 - The Angela Theater in Coaldale, Pa. playing my favorite show. Also taken on Fathers' Day 2011.
• September 2011 - A sunflower I found growing at the State Game lands in western Cumberland County, Pa. I tried to make it look like I wrote on it with a sharpie. Taken in August 2011.
• October 2011 - What is left of the aspen color in Colorado. Taken out of the truck window along Interstate 70 somewhere between Idaho Springs and Vail, Colorado in October 2010.

I am finally up grading the look of the site after four and a half years and one thousand six hundred posts. I hope you like it. For years now I have wished I could post buigger pictures and I think that day is here. Thanks for stopping by.

Star Tannery Volunteer Fire Department

To finish up ThemeWeek: Shenandoah Valley, and since it is Fireday Friday, I am featuring Frederick County Virginia's Company 17, Star Tannery Volunteer Fire Department  Inc. The fire station sits at 950 Brill Road in downtown Star Tannery. The department was founded in 1971 and the firehouse was once a poultry processing business. Company 17 run with 2 engines, a tanker, an ambulance, a brush truck and a utility. Interestingly they are the only department in Frederick County without career personnel. While they have no website of their own I did find this page with information.

Post Number 16Hundred

Route 55

OK, one of these isn't Route 55, but the rest are. Continuing with ThemeWeek Shenandoah Valley, today we're heading back to town. Stopping along the way. waiting on traffic and standing in the middle of the road.  Aren't the colors awesome? I'm including a video I posted on YouTube. I shot them while driving with the video camera on the drivers side mirror. A lot of wind noise so I added some tunage. Hope you enjoy.

Star Tannery, 22654

Our ThemeWeek: Shenandoah Valley trip continues into the small town of Star Tannery, Virginia. When entering Star Tannery from the main road the post office is the first building you see, aside from the few houses along the way. Next would be the general store, the fire house and finally the church. Population is recorded at 640. Star Tannery's post office has found itself on the USPS list of closures. As far as I can tell it hasn't yet been closed.

Mountain Color

ThemeWeek: Shenandoah Valley continues with some color I came across while driving through the mountains of western Virginia. Trust me, though, these just don't do justice to being right there surrounded by this color and the partly cloudy blue skies. While the mountains are very similar to the mountains up here above the Mason Dixon, the valley is one of kind. The farms just don't remind me of the farms around home, the barns aren't near as big either. Just more of an old relaxed feel. Maybe it's that Southern Gentleman Farmer vibe. 

More Shenandoah beauty tomorrow.

Sunny Hollow Farm

Barn Charm 11. Took a little drive on Sunday. We drove down into the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. I didn't think the fall colors would be as nice s they were, I was surprised. So there are more pictures of color and a few more barns to come. This barn we almost passed and I pulled to the side of the dirt road and walked back. it wasn't until I got back there that I noticed the chairs and bench. And it was for sale. Of course, I have nothing stopping me from declaring ThemeWeek: Shenandoah Valley.

For more Charming Barns, hit the link.

On the Scene

For Fireday Friday I'm just including some random apparatus on the scene of real emergencies. No stories. No identification of the units. Just lights and sirens. All taken in the past 3 months.

The Real Crabmen of Assateague Bay

On our cruise around Chincoteague Island last August we passed  by these guys out making a living. A sort of not so deadliest catch. Unless the Captain isn't wearing sunscreen, then he may be in some serious trouble. The guy doing all the real labor is wearing gloves so he should be safe from those maneater claws that the blue crabs grow.

The Last Soccer Game

That's right a journey that began eleven years ago and encompassed 26 seasons ended with a whimper on Monday night. A loss. The team sported a decent record of 10-4-2 and in 23rd place in District 3 Class AAA. (Monday's loss was to a 13-1-0 team in 1st place of Class AA) Championships start with the top 20. The team will graduate 11 seniors, so let's hope they can rebuild quickly. Good luck next year boys. Maybe Ill stop back for a game or two.

The Keeper

This'll be a short post. Just shot my last soccer game. last one for a long time. More tomorrow.

Autumn Rising

While I believe that the peak of the fall colors around here are yet to come I thought I'd get out this morning and document where they are now. I've been to this little pond before and you've all seen it on this blog, but you can't drive past this and not want to stop and snap a few pictures. There is rain scheduled for the mid-week and a cooler but clear weekend ahead, maybe I'll drive out again next weekend and see if it's any better.

Marydel Volunteer Fire Company

You are not seeing things. I have not "Photoshopped" anything here. That is purple hose. Those are purple adapters. I apologize. I saw this at Fire Expo this spring in Harrisburg and knew I had to "take a picture because no one will believe me".

Marydel Fire Company is located in Marydel, Delaware on the Maryland state line and serves Kent County, Delaware and Caroline County, Maryland.

A Walk on the Beach

Yes, on vacation every morning IS a walk on the beach. Here's my proof. This morning wasn't all oranges and pinks, but still beautiful and still on vacation.

Wish Wash

Did you know that the Wish Wash laundromat on Philips Street in Coaldale is open 7 days a week? Yes, even on Sunday.

Pennsylvania State Memorial at Gettysburg

Just playing with PhotoShop a little with some pictures I took in Gettysburg this past summer. These are both from the PA State Memorial.

SHS Homecoming Game 2011

Friday night I went into the high school football game. It was homecoming and I hadn't been in to a game yet. What did I do? I set up along the wire at the south end zone of a field that is notorious for bad lighting. So I give you badly lit football pictures. You can see that you can't even see the ball carrier's face as he crosses the goal line. Maybe some day I'll mortgage the house and get a camera set up that can take these shots.